4 times Hotch got the wrong idea, 1 time he didnt
by DarknessIsTheUniverse
Summary: Four times Hotch gets the wrong idea of the nature of Morgan and Reid s relationship -and one time he doesn t. Basically five scenarios in which M/R are caught in some sort of compromised position by accident ? . Some funny, some scary...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey you guys! **

**I thought I´d write some shorter stories for a change since I dont have a whole lot of time for anything too complex right now. **

**Like the title says, this "story" will contain five seperate ficlets, all about Hotch finding Morgan and Reid in questionable situations and thinking his part. They dont really belong together chronologically and can be read as seperate pieces (except for 4 and 5 maybe). Anyway, they all build up to a big revelation about Reid and Morgan and maybe Hotch at the end...**

**They´re supposed to be funny in the first place, but I genreally have a hard time with that (which you may know if youve read my other stories), so the rating may vary, just so you know. **

**I was aiming for drabbles but I suppose they´re way to long for that...so they just are what they are.**

**I will write them in this order: Sparring, Pants, Undercover, Interrogation, Elevator. ( ha, have fun guessing...:-) ) Im sure many of these ideas have been done before, but I couldnt resist...**

**Now enough with the boring intro. I hope you like it. Please, please review!**

* * *

It was that time at the BAU again when all the agents had to go through a physical examination to ensure they were still at their best and well able to operate in the field.

Even though they were mostly sure of their abilities, Hotch´s team had decided to get a little team practice before the evaluation and in order to make that more enjoyable Hotch had managed to negotiate a business trip –or a weekend in a cute little hotel in the countryside to be more precise –out of Chief Strauss.

They had all had an enjoyable morning full of fried eggs, bacon and bonding, then relaxed some until it was almost time to get to the training room they´d booked.

All except Reid -who had gotten more and more nervous by the minute.

After lunch, Hotch had had to practically drag him out of the room they shared so he would go and grudgingly join the others. He had promised to join them as soon as he got some business taken care of, but that hadn't seemed to calm the young doctor much.

If he hadn't already known why, he would have been dead certain the second he entered the training room about ten minutes after the rest of them.

Everyone was practically quacking in their sneakers, anxious to get started. Everyone except for Reid, who looked even more miserable than he had this morning when he´d futilely begged his unit chief to get out of this exercise.

Hotch almost felt sorry for the younger agent; he knew Reid wasn't exactly physical. Still he hadn't let him off, thinking that it would be in his best interest to at least practice some. A little embarrassment in front of the team certainly wouldn't be as bad as being humiliated in front of the actual testers.

Once they got started though, Hotch wasn't so sure about the last part anymore.

He almost winced when Reid was practically flung through the air by first Rossi, then Emily and …to make matters worse even JJ. It wasn't that he wasn't trying to fight back; his lanky arms and legs just seemed to get in his way a lot.

The sparring had been going on for a while it seemed, with everyone battling everyone. They were all doing well, except for Reid. Hotch was about to take pity on the panting young man who was just getting back up from his last fall, when Morgan stepped in. The dread on Reid´s face was evident.

"Ah, come on..:", he moaned, backing up automatically. Seeing as he´d just been floored by someone half his weight and size, it wasn't a surprise he wasn't eager to go up against Morgan.

"No, you come on, Reid.", Morgan challenged, barely holding back a grin: "Not every UnSub is gonna wait for you to talk yourself out of trouble. You need to be able to beat the crap out of those guys."

He advanced, circling Reid with his hands slightly lifted as though he was going to charge. Slightly panicked, Reid retreated in the same fashion while Emily laughed at Morgan's words: "Maybe he should aim for knocking them off their feet for now. Seems more realistic."

Reid awarded her comment with a dirty look. A mistake - because the moment he took his eyes off Morgan the older agent pounced and knocked him off his feet in a swift, graceful movement. Reid hit the mattress face first with a huff, and before he could think to get up Morgan had followed, pinning his arm behind his back so that he couldn't move. Hotch sighed soundlessly as he watched Reid wailing at Morgan, while the others laughed.

He felt bad for making Reid participate; almost as bad as he felt knowing that one of his field agents would have trouble fighting of a anyone over the age of twelve.

After another couple of minutes of watching Reid uselessly trying to get Morgan off of him, both of them rolling on the mattress, varying between rather unsettling and rather suggestive positions unconsciously, Hotch finally took pity and instructed Morgan to finally get off of Reid. He had looked way to comfortable in that last position anyway.

"Alright, take a short break you guys.", he instructed the team: "Reid why don't you try again tomorrow. We can go over your technique tonight in our room if you want."

Reid just nodded, as he slumped past his superior with a crestfallen expression. Hotch looked after him, frowning at how the blades of his hunched shoulders stuck out underneath his oversized FBI t-shirt when someone skipped past him.

"I really shouldn't let Reid go off by himself.", Morgan called over his shoulder while practically running after his friend: "He may need someone to defend his honor on the long way to his room."

Hotch was about to protest and call him back; he knew Morgan was just trying to make his short break a permanent one, but the two men were already out the door.

He sighed again, loudly this time. The things he had to deal with.

One agent incapable, the other insufferable. As he walked back to the rest of the team he could still clearly make out Reid´s unusually high pitched voice as he cut into Morgan for his last comment while the latter just laughed.

He really shouldn't have let Morgan loose like that. On the other hand, his jibe about Reid getting abducted on the way to the hotel room didn't seem as ridiculous as it should have.

In the hotel Room:

Reid sunk down on his bed with a heavy sigh, slumping back against the wall with his eyes closed and his expression as miserable as exhausted.

"That's it.", he brooded, prying off his sweaty T-shirt to wipe his face with it.

"I'm a lost cause.", he proclaimed: "I'm in the worst physical shape any field agent in the history of the FBI has ever been. I might as well quit since I'm about as threatening to our UnSubs as a goldfish on land."

Morgan -who had followed his friend into the room he shared with Hotch- couldn't help but chuckle at that but contained himself as quickly as he could. When he let himself fall next to Reid, back to the wall with his long legs on the carpet, his expression was at least authentically empathetic, even if he was still trying to bite back another chuckle.

"Ah, come on, man, don't be so melodramatic. You've got other talents; your brain is your weapon." , he tried to cheer him up.

"Yeah, and that's gonna do a lot of good when I'm lying bleeding in a dark alley with a boot and a gun between my shoulder blades."; Reid snorted, spitefully throwing his shirt to the floor and instead grabbing the remote control on the bedside table: "I can always start spewing vocabulary at the UnSub and hope he gets annoyed and just goes."

He sighed again, flipping through the different TV channels until he found one he liked: "Let's just face it. I'm useless."

"Maybe you just need the proper incentive to put up a fight.". Morgan suggested, frowning when Reid stopped at a documentary about the social life of ferrets. Reid didn't seem to notice his friends discontent; if anything the discovery channel and the notion of being able to cram more trivia into his brain seemed to perk him up at least a bit.

Not much though.

"You think getting floored half a dozen times by two girls half my size wasn't enough of an incentive?", Reid snorted. He grabbed a pillow and settled more comfortably against the wall, his attention now mostly on the documentary. He always watched it; it was by far his favorite show.

And while Morgan knew that and was glad that Reid was apparently letting go of his frustration, he wasn't about to drop the subject yet. An idea had just come to him that would both get him out of watching ferrets roll in the sand for the next hour _and_ maybe help Reid with his problem.

"I think maybe you would be more willing to put up a good fight if you faced something truly dreadful.", he said, earning an odd look from the young doctor.

"And what would that be?"

Instead of answering Morgan suddenly grabbed the remote control, flipping through the channels quickly until he found what he was looking for: "There, tonight we´re having an Ultimate Smack Down-marathon!"

The response he´d rooted for came instantaneously.

"Hey, I was watching that!", Reid started to protest only to catch on belatedly to what Morgan had actually said. With horror, he stared at the TV screen where two huge men in superhero costumes were circling each other with chairs in their hands.

"What? Uh, uh, no way! I´d sooner let you wax my legs ankle to thigh than sit through that mindless, repellent display of puerile…"

"Careful what you wish for there, pretty boy.", Morgan grinned, turning up the volume: "I'm sure I would find that more entertaining than any TV show."

"That's because you're a sadist or a deviant?", Reid jibed, a deep frown showing his annoyance. His day had been bad enough already. He wanted his ferrets, god damnit!

Morgan just grinned and zoomed in on the two bulky guys in tight bright pants breaking each other's faces, making a verbal response superfluous.

Reid set for pouting for a few moments, but soon realized that it had absolutely no effect on the older agent.

"Morgan.", he moved on to whining. Surely he wouldnt be able to stay hard confronted with his puppy eyes: "Comeon…gimme the remote…."

Morgan simply turned up the volume even more, carefully avoiding looking at Reid and be sucked into the gravity of his puppy ruse. Annoyed, Reid quickly moved on from pleading to purposefully annoying to demanding.

"Morgan, I mean it! I want to watch my documentary, not this brainless junk! There's nothing to learn from this…!"

Morgan merely raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips as he glanced over at Reid who was sitting on the bed with his arms crossed like a child: "And what do you intend to learn from watching the Discovery Channel?"

"I thought that was obvious.", Reid snapped, obviously not getting the hint.

"Maybe I just didn't expect it from you, Dr. Reid.", the older man winked, finding the joke hilarious even though –or because- Reid hadn't gotten it.

"Morgan, what are you talking about?", Reid snapped, truly annoyed by now. He just wanted that damn remote back! But no, Morgan was mocking him…

"´Let's do it like they do it on discovery channel´, ring a bell?"

It didn't. "Huh?"

Morgan couldn't help but laugh incredulously at the young doctor's dumbfounded expression. Unfortunately Reid did not take kindly to being laughed at on top of being forced to endure the ultimate smack down. Composure worn thin by too much man on man fighting, he launched himself at Morgan with a shout, knocking the other man straight onto his back, one hand pushing at his chest while the other snatched at the remote control.

Morgan's surprise only lasted until his back hit the mattress, then training kicked in and he flung the hand with the remote out of reach, his free arm grabbing Reid around the waist and keeping him practically immobile against his chest. Reid´s reaction was to kick him in the shin, which was a bit difficult but still painful enough from his position. He pushed at Morgan's chin when the older man's grip loosened for a moment and pushed himself further up to get to the remote.

He almost had it when he was roughly grabbed by the neck and jerked back down.

"Not bad, pretty boy!", Morgan huffed, half laughing while Reid was struggling to get up with little success: "So I was right. With the right incentive you can put up a hell of a fight."

Aaron Hotchner walked down the hallway to his room with a definite sense of purpose. He had decided to talk to Reid right now. His young colleague had looked like he would need a serious pep talk sooner rather than later.

As he approached the room he was going through various potential phrases he could use in his head, like ´_Rossi is an expert´, ´Morgan grew up fighting on the streets´-´You could have beaten the girls, you were just afraid to hurt them´_…Even he didn't believe the last one…

Still, he would think of something.

He just turned at the corner leading to their room when he heard the screams.

"Stop it!"

"Why don't you make me?"

"Morgan, I mean it…give it!"; Reid yelled.

He squeaked in surprise when he was suddenly spun around, only to find himself pinned beneath Morgan not two seconds later.

"Or what?", the muscular man laughed, infuriatingly not even a tiny bit breathless: "Considering that pulling my hair is out, what have you got left?"

As though he´d waited for it, Reid dug his fingers into Morgan's sides, tickling him viciously and relentlessly. This time it was Morgan who yelped and jumped, trying to get away from Reid´s hands without giving up his position.

Unable to breathe, he collapsed fully onto Reid, knocking the air out of him as well. Before the younger agent could recover from this newest ruse, Morgan had grabbed his right hand by the wrist and pinned it onto the mattress above their heads. His other hand held out the remote inches from where Reid´s free hand was, making him focus on that instead of his ribs.

As hoped, Reid lunged at the remote, almost reaching it before Morgan stretched his arm just enough to put it out of reach again. He easily held him down while Reid still fought him tooth and nail.

"You're pure evil, you won't get away with this!", Reid shouted well above the level of what would be considered an inside voice. But Morgan could have cared less about neighbors hearing them then, he was enjoying himself too much.

"Oh, wont I?", he grinned playfully: "And who might stop…?"

"Hotch."

Morgan blinked as Reid unexpectedly used their superior's name.

It only took him three seconds to figure out the sudden look of surprise and embarrassment that crossed Reid´s face as he stared past him at the door.

Quickly he sat up, somehow still straddling Reid –shirtless Reid- which didn't exactly help the impression they must be giving, and turned towards the door to find Agent Aaron Hotchner staring at them with an expression between shock and embarrassment.

"What is this?", he finally inquired, his voice just a little shriller than usual.

Reid shifted beneath him, completely out of breath - finally snatching the remote from Morgan's slack grasp. Still unable to move much thanks to Morgan's weight on him he lifted his free hand, as though it would explain everything and panted: "Uhm…Dis…covery channel…"

He blinked in utter confusion when his attempt at resolving the situation resulted in Hotch turning bright red, then completely white, then red again while Morgan´s body was wrecked by another mad laughing fit.

* * *

**Right, one down four to go. :-)**

**Unless of course no one cares to read this. **

**R&R pleeeze...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I got a bunch of great reviews. Thank you guys so much, I´m glad you like it so far!**

**Alright, here´s number two, called Pants. **

**There are some allusions to mature themes, tell me please if that kind of thing changes the rating (I never got that system to be honest...does just talking about something make it worth M?)**

**This one´s supposed to be funny, too - as opposed to the next ones at least...**

**BTW, why do you think Hotch is so obsessed with watching Reid and Morgan´s interactions? **

* * *

Hotch barely suppressed a yawn when JJ launched into her next report about their newest UnSub´s activities.

He immediately felt rude but he was just so terribly tired. Besides, it wasn't like any of the other team members would have noticed it anyways.

The BAU team had just returned from a week long case in Alabama, which had kept them so busy they had barely gotten three hours of sleep a night. It was showing now that they were back at the office, even though they were far from done with the case.

All of them were scattered over the meeting room on their respective chairs looking at least as tired as he. His eyes wandered from Emily and Dave who were looking at JJ with glassy stares, dark circles under their eyes, to Morgan who looked like the sleep deprivation had him at a hair´s width from snapping and yelling at anyone unlucky enough to come near him, to JJ herself, who was just reading out the same sentence twice in a row, blinking furiously.

The only ones who didn't look like they were about to drop were Garcia and Reid, and that only because they had downed at least six cups of coffee this morning. Each of them.

As a result, Reid was practically jumping up and down in his chair, while Garcia kept whispering things in his ear, only to have them both stare at Morgan and giggle.

It made being awake all the more annoying for the rest of them. Especially for Morgan whose eye twitched every couple of seconds whenever he felt their stares on him.

So when Morgan eventually ran out of coffee, no one was surprised to see him push himself up and head for the kitchen, grumbling something indelible.

"Get me some more too, sugar, will you?", Garcia called after him, holding up her empty cup. Hotch was pretty sure Morgan didn't intend on coming back anytime soon; he´d probably doze off on some couch.

He wasn't about to point that out though when Reid jumped up, grabbing Gracias cup.

"I don't think he heard you."; he explained, practically skipping after Morgan into the kitchen.

Thank god, at least there was some quiet now.

* * *

There was a metallic noise and Reid heard Morgan curse loudly through the kitchen door that was slightly ajar.

Carefully, he peered in to see Morgan jumping on one foot, shaking his left hand madly and still cursing. He seemed to have dropped the full pot of coffee somehow, getting the hot liquid all over his shirt and hands in the process.

Reid couldn't help but chuckle at the image of him hopping through the room but shut up quickly when Morgan spun around at the sound, glaring at him crossly.

"You okay?", he asked amiably, still too amused to actually sound very worried. He slipped into the kitchen and stepped up to Morgan to inspect the damage.

"No, I'm not okay, Reid!", Morgan hissed, messily tearing at the front of his shirt to get the hot cloth off his skin. He ripped most off the buttons right off with it, tossing the shirt aside with another wave of choice words and turned on the faucet to get some cold water.

Meanwhile, Reid went to pick up the coffee pot from the floor, delighted to find that only half of its content had been spilled. He moved to the sink and was happily refilling his cup when Morgan next to him turned around with wide eyes.

"What the hell Reid?", he yelled unexpectedly, his face as red as the burn marks on his chest: "I´m suffering here and you just stand there….AAH!"

He hadn't gotten to finish the sentence because his sudden outburst had startled Reid so much that the young man jumped and promptly slipped on the wet floor. With a scream he lost his balance, falling forward and spilling more coffee over Morgan's pants as he went down. Now Morgan was screaming, too, grimacing in pain.

"Damnit, Reid!", he gasped, as he felt his lower body burned as well.

* * *

After about ten minutes of staring blankly at their blonde liaison, it occurred to the team that neither Morgan nor Reid had come back yet, mostly because Garcia was noisily complaining about being thirsty.

"What, did Reid fall asleep, too, now?", Rossi grumbled, clearly pissed off that he himself had to stay awake.

"I´ll go look for them.", Garcia offered, scampering out the door before anyone could stop her.

Hotch sighed and got up as well. There was no point dragging this out any more with half the team gone MIA.

"Alright, people, let´s get some rest. We´ll talk about the profile tomorrow."

He left the meeting room and followed Garcia, catching up with her after a few steps.

"Found them yet?", he asked.

She shook her head but smiled: "No, but I'm following the scent of coffee black as night. It should lead me straight to them. And even if it doesn't: I've got to think of myself now."

Hotch chuckled lightly, rubbing his burning eyes as he walked. He was about to answer when they heard yelling and shouting coming from the kitchen.

"Sorry! Oh! I'm so sorry, Morgan!", Reid apologized hastily over and over, this time actually distressed by having caused the other man pain.

He pushed himself up from the wet floor by the sink to sit on his knees, arms flailing helplessly through the air while Morgan fumbled with the button of his jeans, trying to yank them off and get cold water on his skin.

"Fuck, Reid!", Morgan swore when he saw the amount of red spots on his lower abdomen: "Now look at what you've done! I won't have children!"

Reid had no trouble inspecting Morgan's skin from where he was kneeling, it was right on eye level. He grabbed a wet towel and pressed it to his friend´s stomach in an attempt to cool the burns. Morgan hissed at the sting, his fingers reflexively digging into Reid´s shoulder.

The young doctor barely acknowledged the tight grip, still torn between guilt and laughter. Both got stuck in his throat when there was a voice from the door, interrupting them.

"Morgan, where's my cof…OH MY…!"

* * *

Hotch´s drowsiness was forgotten as soon as Garcia's squeak pierced his ears. He winced, then tried to look past her to see what had startled her so much. What he saw let him doubt whether he had actually fallen asleep after all.

Morgan was standing with his back to the door without his shirt on. One of his hands was struggling to push down his jeans as well while the other was digging into Reid's shoulder. _Reid's shoulder_ which was only level with Morgan´s hips because his head was, too. The young doctor was kneeling on the floor, half covered from their sight by Morgan, his hands apparently pressed to the older man's stomach –if not lower.

Hotch swallowed hardly, forcefully willing himself to close his mouth and blink. He heard Garcia gasp again next to him which had the two agents finally notice them.

As soon as he saw them, Reid blushed furiously and shot to his feet, which unfortunately resulted in him slipping again. He barely managed to get a grip on Morgan's arm to keep from falling to the ground again. Unfortunately the mug in his hand wasn't as lucky.

They all jumped when it shattered on the tiles with an earsplitting noise. Garcia into Hotch and Reid into Morgan.

"Damnit, Reid! You´re a disaster on legs!"; Morgan shouted, trying to avoid stepping on glass.

As annoyed as he sounded, Hotch couldn't help but notice he didn't try to pry the kid off his arm. No, in fact he didn't seem the least bit bothered by the notion of his very male, very shirtless coworker clinging to him tightly.

Hotch forced himself to look away from where Morgan's fingers circled Reid's upper arm, holding him up. Tried to get the mental picture burned into his brain out of his head, before they noticed he had spaced out.

"It wasn't me!", Reid now defended himself as he straightened up and took a step back. He looked down at his shirt in dismay, seeing that it was now also covered in dark stains. With a resignated sigh, he pulled it off like Morgan had, igniting another gasp from Hotch and Garcia at the same time. This was still their work place, wasn't it? Granted they were alone in the kitchen…

Still, all Hotch could do was stare and try to adjust to what it was he had actually seen moments ago. From the slight flush on Derek's face he figured that the agent had at least some idea what they had looked like, even if it had just been an unfortunate misunderstanding. Reid on the other hand, looked equally embarrassed if only because they had totaled the kitchen floor.

"Sorry, Hotch…", he mumbled in embarrassment, wiping his hands on his shirt: "We´ll get that cleaned up, don't worry…"

That wasn't the explanation Hotch had hoped for, even though by now he was pretty sure that there had been nothing going on. If this were more than a misunderstanding Reid wouldn't be able to face him right now, that was for sure.

Still, he wanted to hear it - but sure enough he didn't get to ask either because in that moment the small kitchen got even fuller.

"What are you guys doing in here?", Emily´s voice came from the door, curious as ever.

A second later Hotch felt her peeking over his shoulder and gasp; a gasp that sounded much less shocked than his own and much more enticed.

"JJ!"; she cried excitedly: "JJ! Cancel our tickets for that _Chippendales _performance. You have to see this!"

Moments later the little room was full of chatter, Emily, JJ and Garcia cheerfully giggling and fawning over the half naked guys who suddenly were all the more embarrassed. Dave had walked over to Morgan after a while, grinning and saying something Hotch couldn't make out over the girls laughter.

"Hotch?", Reid approached him carefully, awkwardly covering his chest with his wet shirt: "You look kind of pale, if you're worried about the mess…"

"No. No, don't worry.", Hotch waved him off after a moment of recollection. He still couldn't seem to pry his eyes of the man's bare collarbone - much less maneuver a coherent thought from his brain to his mouth.

"What…were you doing in here?", he finally managed to ask but didn't get an answer because they were once again interrupted.

"Yeah.", Emily chimed in, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively: "What _were_ you two doing?"

"Ah, come on", Garcia grinned next to her: "You know how much Reid enjoys some strong, black, steamy…"

"We were just getting coffee!", Reid exclaimed, his face the color of a ripe tomato. He glared at the girls warningly but they wouldn't have it.

"Is that so?"; Garcia just wouldn't let up: "Then where is the coffee I was promised?"

Reid hesitated, his gaze wandering back to Morgan's still glistering abs; he shrugged helplessly: "Sorry, if you want it you´ll have to lick it off Morgan."

He was too busy bickering with Garcia to notice Hotch´s jaw fall slack again at his choice of words.

"You mean you left some for me? How generous…", she mocked, sending Reid into another round of embarrassed indignation.

Hotch quietly slipped out of the room, unnoticed by his bickering team mates.

He had a lot of sleep to catch up on.

Right after a long shower.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, thanx sooooo much for all your lovely comments! You´re great!**

**Alright, so here is Part 3: Undercover.**

**And: I know I said they were all going to be humerous. This one? Not so much. **

**Sorry, about that. I like writing angst better I guess...**

**It´s the same topic though, hope you like it anyways :-)**

* * *

„Tell me again why this was a good idea?", Hotch asked Emily with a pointed look.

Emily just chuckled, pushing back her shiny dark hair behind her ear to reveal her cleavage. It would have been a sight to see had Hotch not been terribly distracted at the moment.

"It was your plan, Aaron.", Rossi's voice cracked in his earpiece, and Hotch sighed.

It _had_ been his idea.

He looked around the fancy dinner restaurant. Emily and he were sitting a table near the kitchen, posing as a couple. Emily was doing a great job, holding his hand and shooting flirtatious smiles at Hotch while he was busy complaining to Dave who was safely outside in a surveillance van.

"Well, I changed my mind.", he replied: "I thought we would find some other agent to do this…I didn't mean for Reid and Morgan to…"

"Ah, come now.", Emily giggled, taking a sip of her wine. It had the same color as her tight dress: "They don't mind doing it. They even volunteered."

That they had, Hotch had to admit.

His haze wandered through the restaurant once more, fixating Reid and Morgan over Emily's shoulder.

They were sitting at a couples table by the window, much in the same position as he and Emily, with the difference that both seemed much more enthusiastic about their role.

Reid was dressed casually in tight black slacks and a shiny dress shirt, somehow looking much better than in his usual work clothes, looking like…well….Like someone a man as good-looking as Morgan would spend an evening with.

They complemented each other well he had to admit. A little too well for his taste.

Just now, Reid was laughing at something Morgan had said, his cheeks slightly flushed from the wine he´d had. They were holding hands over the table, visible for everyone who looked.

Like their UnSub for example.

The man they were chasing at the moment preyed on same sex couples, leading them to secluded areas and then shooting them both. They had been able to identify this particular restaurant as the place he came to pick up his victims and –with nothing more to go on, had been in need of some kind of bait.

It was their only shot, but now that he was sitting here as surveillance, waiting for Reid and Morgan to be abducted, it didn't seem like a particularly good idea anymore.

"Have you spotted anyone paying an unusual amount of attention to them yet, Dave?", Hotch asked Rossi tensely.

"Yes.", Rossi replied slightly annoyed because he´d heard the question at least five times in as many minutes now: "YOU. They´ll be fine, Aaron. Now relax a bit. Emily needs more wine."

Hotch forced a smile on his face as he poured his date some more wine, trying to at least seem like he was having a good time.

Truth was, he didn't know what unnerved him more: Knowing that Reid and Morgan might be about to risk their lives -or the fact that the way they held hands seemed much too natural to them.

He chewed on the same piece of broccoli for a couple of minutes, watching as Morgan leaned over the table to whisper something in Reid´s ear. The young man blushed and nodded enthusiastically. Apparently they weren't exchanging job related information. Or they were just covering it extremely well… Morgan's hand slid up Reid´s arm further, idly toying with the sleeve of his shirt while this posture left no doubt about his intentions.

After a moment, Morgan picked up the check and both men left the restaurant.

"Alright.", Dave informed them over the earpiece: "_Unit Happy Couple_ ready to go. Wait two minutes, then follow.

Hotch was so busy watching Morgan's hand on the small of Reid´s back that he almost forgot to help Emily into her coat. Arm in arm, they walked out into the cool october evening, the streets already illuminated by the occasional street lamp flickering to life.

Morgan and Reid were walking slowly down the street toward a more remote area: The park they had found the first victims in. If the UnSub was watching, they were giving him a perfect shot.

Hotch could hear their laughter echoing through the evening air even from a distance. Morgan had one arm around Reid, pulling him close into his side and Reid´s head was leaning on the other man´s shoulder.

Emily snuggled into Hotch´s side much in the same way as they followed their colleagues with some distance, the surveillance van just behind the street corner.

"Why do you think Morgan picked up the check for both of them?", he couldn't help but ask the question that had gnawed at him since they'd left the restaurant.

Emily blinked at him somewhat amused: "Why, they were on a date. You paid for my food too, Hotch."

"Yes, but I mean, they're two men…how do they know who is supposed to pay…?"; he didn't quite know how to phrase his question properly. He didn't need to though because Emily caught on to what was bothering him lightening quick.

She grinned at his obvious unease:

"I'm sure they had plenty of time to discuss that beforehand. But if you mean gay couples in general…I´m not sure to be honest…I always figured it would be much like with men and women…the one who pays is the one who pitches and the…"

"Okay, alright, never mind, I don't need to know.", Hotch quickly dismissed her, flustered.

She laughed at that: "Ah, come on, boss. They have a cover to maintain. If you saw them without knowing them, wouldn't you assume that Morgan is the active one?"

"I hadn't thought about it.", Hotch murmured, wishing he hadn't brought it up. It wasn't quite true that he hadn't, but she didn't have to know. To be honest though, it was the only reason he had wondered about the check.

Not that it even mattered. After all, it wasn't as if they were a real couple. Morgan was probably just too macho to let anyone assume he wasn't the one who paid…or pitched…or whatever…

His train of thought was interrupted abruptly when Dave´s voice creaked in their ears: "Suspect sighted, guys. He's on the other street side, just a little in front of Hotch and Emily."

He saw Reid move his head just a little on Morgan's shoulder, a sign that they'd understood. They kept walking while Hotch and Emily fell back a little.

They could see the man now. He was dressed on a dark coat, middle aged with brownish hair –his eyes were fixed on the two agents as he followed them into the park.

Hotch and Prentiss were forced to fall back even further in order not to be noticed by the potential UnSub which meant they briefly lost sight of their colleagues.

It took a moment but then they could hear Reid´s voice softly coming from their earpieces: "Guys, we´re in position. Come to the park bench near the monument."

When they found them again, Hotch couldn't help but stop and stare at them for a full five seconds. He pulled Emily to a stop with him and they hid in some bushes close to the monument where they had a clear view of the targets.

They were in position all right.

Morgan was sitting on the bench while Reid was sitting on his lap, straddling him. Large hands had the young man pulled close while Reid´s arms were around Morgan´s neck. It looked so much like a lovers´ embrace that it felt almost indecent to watch them.

Hotch shook his head sharply, trying to snap out of it and focus on the job.

Their heads were close together, but in the dark it was difficult to see just how close. Or what they were doing. Morgan's hand was stroking up and down Reid´s back, leaving Hotch amazed by just how seriously they were taking their assignment.

Technically, they could have just sat there and held hands, hoping it would be enough for the UnSub. After all, no one in the Bureau could force them to do anything on a more physical level, even if it was for a cause…

"Where is he?", Reid unexpectedly whispered in that moment, his muffled voice indicating that he was speaking into Morgan's neck. His voice sounded a little odd, be it from nervousness or something else…

Hotch tried to force himself to think of more pressing matters than the question just how much acting and how much truth there was in this PDA.

"We've lost eye contact.", Emily whispered to Reid next to him: "But he must be close. Get ready."

In response, Morgan let his hands slip under Reid´s jacket, pulling him closer.

So much for thinking of something else.

Morgan seemed in the middle of kissing the young man's neck when the UnSub appeared out of nowhere.

All of them flinched, most of all Reid when he suddenly felt the cold barrel of a gun against the back of his neck. Morgan's head snapped up and he managed to look truly surprised and scared. Or maybe he really was.

"Damn it, why didn't we see him earlier?", Hotch hissed, hand tight around his gun. They had planned to catch him while he was watching the couple, not for him to act right away. Now they would have to disable him without endangering Reid any further.

Oh, he had known this would somehow go wrong…

"Get up slowly.", the UnSub growled at Reid. The doctor hesitated, his hands trembling slightly as he lifted his hands next to his head slowly.

Morgan didn't move. "We don't have any money.", he said lowly.

"Shut up!", the man barked: "You, get up before I shoot your boyfriend in the face."

"Alright, alright."; Reid conceded. He was about to get up but the UnSub got impatient and made a grab for him, pulling him backwards against him roughly, the gun cocked and trained to his temple.

"Fuck.", Emily cursed, getting ready to storm out of the bushes.

She didn't get to though because the moment Morgan's hands left Reid´s body, they revealed a revolver shining in the moonlight.

Reid's revolver. Morgan must have pulled it out of the holster under his jacket…the reason he´d had his hand there in the first place…?

He was up and had the gun trained at the UnSub in under three seconds. "Drop your weapon and down on the ground!", he growled, looking ready to kill.

The man looked stressed at this turn of events but didn´t cave. He thought he was just up against Morgan not a whole FBI unit.

"I don't think so.", he sneered, tightening his hold on Reid who winced slightly: "_You_ drop it…unless you want me to shoot your lover."

Morgan's composure seemed to slip for moment but his hands were still and sure when he released the safety catch. He had no other option; he knew the man would kill them anyway.

"We need to go in.", Emily hissed next to him, fear thick in her voice. Hotch shook his head rigidly even though he felt just the same: "Too risky. We could hit Reid. Let Morgan talk him down."

"Drop the gun, sir, or I will make you.", Morgan threatened, looking dead serious –and scared as hell for Reid´s sake.

"Don't be stupid."; the UnSub just growled at him: "Do you want him to die?"

He copied Morgan's action, pressing the cocked gun harder to Reid´s head.

Hotch could see the paleness of the young agent´s face from all the way by the bushes. He was trembling slightly, but his eyes were fixed on Morgan without blinking as if looking for something to hold on to. Morgan returned his gaze intensely for a moment, before he tried to aim at the UnSub´s head past Reid´s.

"Fine, then he´ll die first!", the man screeched near a panic when he saw Morgan wouldn't let up, his fingers digging into Reid´s shoulders forcefully as he held him close.

"Spencer. It'll be alright.", Morgan said in a voice that was in stark contrast to his face and body language. He didn't acknowledge the threat verbally, only by taking a stance, still trying to find aim with the little opportunity he had.

It seemed inevitable he would hit Reid. If the UnSub waited that long.

"Trust me.", Morgan tightened his hold on the revolver, knowing he only had seconds to react before the man would snap.

"You know I do.", Reid replied almost to softly for the earpiece to pick it up. He smiled shakily -then he suddenly closed his eyes and let his body go completely slack.

Before Hotch and Emily had fully grasped what was happening, a shot rang through the nightly air and the next time they blinked both Reid and the UnSub were sprayed with blood.

Hotch was running towards them instantly, his breath caught in his throat in apprehension. For a horrible second he was afraid Reid had been hit and cursed Morgan for being so foolish.

A moment later, the UnSub fell over to the side with a death rattle, his arm slipping from Reid´s shoulders. There was neat whole in his forehead.

The young doctor stumbled forward when he was suddenly released, almost falling over his own feet. Morgan had grabbed him and pulled him flush against his chest in a heartbeat, seemingly crushing him with the force of his death grip.

What could have been interpreted as an attempt to separate and shield his colleague from a possibly still living killer, was much more once one looked closer.

Morgan seemed to hold on to him for dear life.

All countenance and control had left him the instant he pulled the trigger. Now he was smoothing out Reid´s hair with shaking fingers, whispering random words Hotch could quite make out.

Reid let him, leaning against Morgan so that the blood on his cheeks rubbed off on the other man´s shirt; he didn't seem as shaken, just worried about Morgan.

The two agents barely acknowledged their friends´ presence for the first minute. Prentiss took the hint and went to check on the UnSub´s corpse while Hotch couldn't help but stand there and stare at his agents.

Even now that it was all over, Morgan looked more scared than Reid himself and after all it was him who had almost been shot.

"I´m fine, Morgan.", he murmured soothingly into his friend´s shoulder, if a little muffled from the way he was crushed against it: "It´s fine."

"Never again.", Morgan finally replied forcefully: "We´re never doing this again."

He eventually released Reid from his embrace, still staying close though. He seemed a little more together now, but his eyes were still burning with a strange intensity: "Next time, we´ll pay for a fucking professional to risk their life."

His last words were aimed at Hotch and the chief could only nod at the look in his agents eyes; he didn't have the heart to tell Morgan that they were the professionals one would usually call.

He just couldn't bring himself to. His own fear for Reid´s life was nothing compared to the unadulterated dread he saw mirrored in those dark orbs.

Morgan just nodded, seemingly placated. He turned to Prentiss, starting to debate the UnSub´s identity with her like he usually would.

But even in the dark Hotch noticed that he still hadn't let go of Reid´s wrist and wouldn't until Rossi arrived with an ambulance about ten minutes later.

* * *

**still with me? i hope so...**

**about the check in the restaurant...i really have no idea if such an issue actually exists or how it is handled, so bear with me if i screwed something up there.**

**Apart from that: anyone get the impression that hotch might be right to be suspicious? :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Right, this is part 4. I hope you´re enjoying it so far. **

**So this part might need a higer rating. Nothing actually happens, but there are allusions...well, I´m warning you now, how about that? Keep reading and you´ll encounter a pretty disturbed (-ing) UnSub. In case you were wondering -this one isnt too humerous either. **

**Btw, I know the guys are always tired in these stories. Kind of a motif for me, probably because I am always so freaking tired these days. Ah, RL. Gets to all of us, doesn't it?**

* * *

The hours were dragging.

Hotch took a moment to rest his eyes before returning to his task of watching the monitors in the control room. Right past the door next to him, their latest UnSub had been sitting and waiting for hours now.

Mark Reynolds was a particularly brutal serial killer with his preferences running towards sexual sadism. All of his victims had been sexually assaulted before being killed.

And as easy as it had been to follow his trail once the first corpse was found, he was now proving to be an extremely hard nut to crack. They had tried nearly every tactic, from empathy to reverse psychology to threats –nothing. All Reynolds did was sit there and stare smugly at the mirror on the wall, like he knew Hotch was staring right back at him.

From behind him, Rossi, Reid and Morgan entered the room, all of them looking equally exhausted. They had been on this case for days and they were running out of options.

"He said anything yet?", Rossi's question was purely rethorical, because if he had Hotch wouldn't just be sitting around. Still, he shook his head no.

Morgan groaned in annoyance: "Man, I just wanna go home already. Can't we just nail the guy on the evidence we have?"

Rossi shrugged: "We could try him on spec. But he might walk away without a confession and no forensic evidence linking him to the victims."

"Fine, turn these monitors off, I'll get a confession out of him.", Morgan growled, only half serious, but Hotch still shot him a disapproving look.

"No. We need to get a confession out of him before noon today, or we have nothing left to hold him here for."

"Fine. Give me ten minutes.", Morgan said, rolling up his sleeves.

"Morgan", Hotch warned again but Morgan just gave him a dismissive wave.

Instead of storming into the room and start beating on Reynolds, Morgan turned to Reid. Without a comment, he grabbed the doctors coffee mug, taking a large sip before placing it on the table next to Hotch.

Reid opened his mouth in silent protest, but was quickly distracted when Morgan snatched his glasses from his eyes and put them away, too.

"What the…?", Reid started complaining only to be shushed by his very impatient coworker. Both Hotch and Rossi watched perplexed as Morgan began fussing over Reid as if it were the most common thing for him to open the first two buttons of the young man's dress shirt, then tuck it out of his pants.

"Shush, I'm working here…", Morgan batted away Reid's raised hand only to start tousling his hair, loosening some longer streaks so they fell softly into his face.

Then he stepped back, eyeing Reid like he was a piece of art he had just completed.

"That'll do.", he finally declared, apparently oblivious to the other men staring at him in utter confusion.

"Ready to roll, pretty boy?", he asked turning to the door. Reid blinked at him for a second, then his face lit up in understanding just to fall again the fraction of a second later.

"Oh. Ugh. Really, Morgan?", he asked reluctantly, looking like he´d rather run back out of the room altogether.

"Co´mon now, you've read the profile, Reid, it´s perfect.", Morgan reminded him impatiently while Hotch just sat there, trying to make sense of their conversation.

Reid frowned: "Yeah, but…"

"No buts.", Morgan cut him off resolutely: "I want to go home already. If I can handle it so can you. Wait two minutes."

And with that he walked into the interrogation room. Hotch had been about to ask Reid what was going on but a sudden change in body language left his eyes fixed on Morgan.

The black agent had straightened out as much as he could, seeming even taller and broader than usually somehow. There was an edge to the way he walked as well as to his hardened expression which was deeply unsettling.

Hotch knew that subtle, underlying expression, he´d seen it hundreds of times over the years.

He edged closer to the monitors and the mirror so he could hear their conversation better.

Meanwhile, Morgan sat down on the chair opposite of Reynolds's, leaning back as far as he could with his legs spread and his arms crossed over his chest. He regarded the man with a mixture of arrogance and annoyance.

"So they still keeping you here?", he asked: "Aren't you getting bored of this? I sure am."

Reynolds eyed the man with a sneer. Morgan hadn't had an active role in his arrest but he didn't need to know someone to dislike them – that, they knew for sure.

"I sure am, Mr. Special agent.", he replied acidly: "But I suppose I can wait one more hour to go free. What about you and your team? Don't you think you have more pressing matters at hand than keeping me company?"

"In fact I do have things to get to, Reynolds."; Morgan agreed coolly: "So why don't you sign these release papers stating that you will stay in the city so I don't have to come back here in an hour."

He pushed a stack of papers over the table along with a pen.

Reynolds grinned upon realizing that apparently these agents really had no way to hold him here. He took the pen but didn´t look at the papers, instead he leaned back in his chair, much in the same way Morgan had, just radiating glee and superiority.

He was in no hurry now, eager to taunt Morgan while he was still cooped up in here.

"It must make you mad to have your only suspect slip through your fingers like that.", he stated, grinning when Morgan's impression darkened.

"Maybe you should find an outlet for your aggression.", he suggested innocently: "I hear people do nasty things if they don't vent their anger in time."

"Oh, trust me I will once I get home." Hotch noticed Morgan didn't specify which one he meant, the nasty things or the venting, or both.

Reynolds grinned at his implication, clearly enjoying this turn of events. He had picked up on Morgan's vibe and was walking right into his trap: "Is that so? Your girl waiting for you?"

Morgan scoffed, disdain open on his face.

"I could care less about girls."

If Hotch hadn't known it was an act he would have had no problem believing Morgan's apparent dislike for women.

"He´s trying to relate to Reynolds by also showing contempt for women?", he asked Rossi.

Rossi simply shook his head: "No. Reynolds doesn't care about women, Aaron. Remember the victimology. They were all young men between the ages of seventeen and twenty-three."

Hotch frowned, confused: "Then what did he mean by…?"

In that moment, Reid opened the door and walked into the interrogation room as well.

Much like Morgan's, his whole demeanor and posture changed radically once he came into view. His shoulders were slightly drawn up, his head cast down so that his hair fell into his eyes and he was clutching a folder to his chest like a shield.

He took two hesitant steps into the room, seemingly reluctant to be there. He looked younger and more nervous than on his very first day at the BAU.

Morgan looked up at him in annoyance, while Reynold´s eyes sparked with interest.

"Jesus, why didn't I consider trying that?", Hotch asked, once the penny had finally dropped.

"Because it´s highly dubious, not to mention disturbing to watch?", Rossi offered from his spot behind Hotch. At least he didn't sound surprised by what was happening.

"What?", Morgan barked, looking truly imposing if not to say scary. Reynolds grinned; he was visibly taking to Morgan.

Reid flinched slightly. "I- I´m sorry to disturb you, Agent Morgan.", he fidgeted, sinking deeper into himself if that was even possible: "I'm supposed to bring you this folder. The team is going for lunch now, so we thought if you needed…"

"I've got everything under control, Spencer.", Morgan cut him off.

"Spencer, huh?", Reynolds inserted himself into the conversation, raking his eyes up and down Reid´s slender frame: "Since when are they admitting boys to a man´s job?"

The young man gave him a startled glance before hiding behind his hair again.

Morgan just snorted derisively: "We´re not. Spencer isn't a real agent. Are you, Spencer? No, he's an intern who we can't fire but who also is no good at all to us. He can't even properly fire a gun, can you imagine that?"

Reynolds laughed at that. He seemed sure now of Morgan's sympathy because the agent had let him speak to Reid like that - maybe he even thought he could relate to him in a way.

So Phase One was accomplished. Hotch wondered what Phase Two would be.

"I´m sorry…I shouldn't have…", Reid murmured red faced, ready to turn around and hurry out of the room when Morgan got up swiftly and jerked him back rather roughly by his upper arm.

"What's the rush, boy? You have a chance now to prove that you've got guts after all, don't you want to at least try?"

Without waiting for an answer, he shoved Reid towards the desk and Reynolds. The young man yelped in surprise and pain as he lost his folder in the effort to catch himself. Reynolds leaned forward in his chair, biting his lower lip.

"I…I really think I should get back…", Reid actually sounded scared as he retreated from the UnSub and turned back towards the door –and Morgan: "They others are…"

"No one's waiting for you.", Morgan sneered, blocking his way to the door: "Everyone's at lunch. You're on my watch now. And I plan to watch very closely."

The way he was towering over the young doctor made their difference in size and body mass seem enormous.

Watching his agents´ interaction gave Hotch the chills; he had never seen Morgan so…mean, so evil -or Reid so demure and with no confidence at all.

But they were playing Reynolds perfectly, easily creating the dynamic he was obsessed with and enforcing that impression by even addressing each other a certain way.

It almost looked like it came a little too easily to them.

Sure, Reid probably could relate to being a mobbing victim, but he had never once seen Morgan say one unkind word to someone who didn't deserve it. Especially not to Reid; usually he was even the one who made sure others gave Reid the proper respect.

Now all of that was gone and the two agents were falling into their roles so fully, so completely tuned to each other that it was almost eerie.

They hadn't planned this, had they?

"I…", Reid stuttered helplessly: "But I really need to…"

Hotch was oddly reminded of the time he had pretended to hold a grudge against Reid in front of an UnSub, even though his acting hadn't been quite as sophisticated. He had said something very similar about Reid´s shooting abilities back then.

He tensed, hoping that Morgan wasn't planning on beating up his friend as well. He didn't know if he could just stand by in that case, even if Reid were fine with it. But Morgan didn't hit Reid.

Instead he grabbed him roughly by the hair at the back of his head, pulling harshly. Reid gasped in pain when his head was forced back to expose his throat.

Morgan spun him around, still holding him in a merciless grip, but so that Reynolds got a good look at both his and Reid´s expression. Then he lowered his head to speak into his ear in a seemingly soft voice that only came across all the more threatening: "Are you talking back to me, boy?"

"No. No, sir, I'm not…", Reid whimpered, caught between fear and pain.

"Good. Otherwise I´d have to assume the last lesson I gave you didn't take and make sure you´re taught another one. Is that what you need, pretty boy, a lesson in obedience?"

Hotch was sure his eyes popped out of his skull in time with Reynolds´.

Now that, he had not expected.

The way Morgan talked to Reid, even the way he held him…it hinted at a whole other kind of victimization, and Hotch just couldn't believe Morgan as actually going there.

Morgan of all people. Just as he couldn't believe Reid would so compliantly go along with a plan Morgan hadn't even explained in advance.

And yet it looked so real, almost as if they'd rehearsed it, almost as it they fell into those roles on a regular basis…

"What the hell?", he cursed under his breath.

He heard Rossi shuffle his feet restlessly next to him and was sure that the older man also found the scene in front of them disturbing. "They know what they're doing.", he offered, sounding anything but convinced himself.

In the interrogation room, Morgan let Reid squirm for another minute while Reynolds was watching, practically whetting his teeth, then he released him abruptly, shoving him towards the door.

"I´ll deal with you later.", he scowled: "Now get out of here, and make sure you're at the hotel in time."

Reid hurried to the door on shaking legs; he leaned against it but hesitated before opening it when Morgan and Reynolds started talking again.

"That's quite the hold you got on the kid.", Reynolds said, sounding impressed and just a bit excited. He seemed comfortable talking freely now, obviously sure that all other agents were gone with the way Morgan had just acted in front of the mirror wall.

"Yeah, well you know how it is.", Morgan shrugged, his expression very similar to that of the UnSub: "Gotta show them their place. But Spencer does know his´, and he also knows what will happen to him if he angers me, because I told him about Andy, didn't I?"

He gave Reid an evil grin over his shoulder when the man whimpered.

"Who's Andy?", Reynolds asked intrigued.

"Oh, an ex of mine who sadly fell down some stairs a while back…you know how that happens…"

Reynolds seemed truly impressed, while Hotch grew more and more horrified by the second. If this was all acting made up on the spot, they weren't paying Morgan enough.

Finally, Reid slipped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The moment he entered the room his whole posture changed immediately, he straightened up and went from completely distraught to professionally calm in under a second.

Without saying anything he went to stand in front of the mirror and watch Morgan talk as if this were just a standard interrogation.

Hotch stared at his back, his mouth opening and closing silently, while Morgan kept working Reynolds.

"So he's your little boy toy, then, agent? Impressive."

"Just something to pass the time. And to vent my anger, like you said.", Morgan leered, looking nothing like his usual kind self anymore now.

He was half sitting on the table now, his head bowed toward the other man as they talked. There was some kind of silent understanding between them now, a connection that made Hotch want to gag. It was Phase 3, he realized.

"And you're meeting him today?", Reynolds asked, eager for more information..

"Yeah, like I said. I've got plans for this afternoon involving a different kind of _law enforcement_.", Morgan hinted, smiling evilly: "So you will understand why I leave you to it now. Have a good life, man."

He patted the man on the shoulder like they were comrades, then got up from the table to walk towards the door.

"Hey, wait."; Reynolds called and Morgan turned around.

The man was smiling at him conspiratorially: "Since I'm getting out soon, don't you know someone you could hook me up with? One of pretty boy's friend's maybe?"

Morgan surprised him when he replied without hesitance: "Why not just take him?"

"You wouldn't mind?", Reynolds asked with one eye brow raised; a smile was slowly creeping up his face.

Morgan shrugged: "Nah, actually…I could use an experienced hand to help me with him, maybe show me some tricks…"

He moved back closer, lowering his voice like he was sharing a rather naughty secret: "I pick up a lot of stuff on this job you know, but I´m lacking the experience…"

"So you'd like to reenact some of that?"; Reynolds was locking at him intently, licking is lips: "Like the things your current UnSub does?"

Morgan nodded.

"Yeah, some things more than others…the knifes…", Morgan's voice was just a shade too dark and husky. Hotch really started wondering how the other two agents could just stomach seeing him like that…

Dubious or not, Morgan's scheme finally paid off when Reynolds started adding more suggestions of his own: "And the electro shocker …and the nails…?"

"Yes!", Reid made a victory gesture, swinging his fist through the air while Rossi breathed out loudly.

In the room, Morgan suddenly stood up, his grin vanishing completely: "No. But thanks anyway."

Reynolds blinked at his sudden change in expression, clearly confused but not grasping what had happened yet: "What for?"

"That was restricted information. Only we know about that. We and the UnSub."

And with that he was out of the door and back in the monitoring room, before Reynolds could even start yelling enraged insults at him.

Hotch turned off the sound to the monitors and turned towards Morgan who was back to his old self, grinning at him victoriously.

"We got him, Hotch! What do you say?"

But Hotch couldn't say anything. He was still too caught up in the memory of Morgan pulling Reid against him by his hair, whispering threats into his ear…

Thankfully, it didn't register with the others much because Rossi was quick to congratulate Morgan in length on his catch. After that, the agent was quickly engaged in a heated conversation with Reid.

"_Learn my place_?"; Reid repeated Morgan's words pointedly, even though he didn't sound seriously upset, more like he was teasing the man: "What was that about, Morgan?"

"Ah, common on, Reid,", Morgan waved cheerily, throwing an arm over Reid´s shoulders: "Just admit I was brilliant. We deserve an Emmy!"

"_I_ deserve a coffee!", Reid countered, yet unable to hide a small smile: "Come on, Mr. Bad guy, you can buy me one on the way home as compensation for the one you drank before…"

Hotch still heard them bickering even as they were already out the door and well down the hallway.

After a minute or so he took a deep breath, finally leaning back in his swivel chair.

It had just been for show, he told himself again, a very disturbing one but just a show nonetheless. No matter how real it had looked.

He actually managed to crack a smile at Dave, who was eyeing him sympathetically.

"Huh, looks like it's over.", Hotch sighed: "Well, I'm certainly glad I don't have to watch Morgan's charade any longer."

Rossi chuckled slightly: "Oh, I think he is a natural. That was a very convincing performance."

Hotch shot him a dirty look: "That _is just_ what was disturbing, that it seemed so real… I'm just glad it was all just…", he hesitated when a new thought suddenly came to him:

"Hey, wait a minute! - Did they just go _home together_?"

* * *

**Everyone still with me? Dry your eyes, there´s only one left -the resolution if you will. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Last Part! Yay! This was lot of fun...sorry i caved in in the middle and wrote the rest kinda angsty, i did all i could. no, really.**

**I had to change the title and theme for the last one, because...well i had a better idea. this is called "Dark romm" and it´s closely connected to Part 4.**

**Now, there is some sexual content in here, just so youre warned. it´s nothing explictit though but i want to be safe.**

**Have fun reading!**

* * *

It was almost a week since what Hotch had since called the _Interrogation-Incident _in his mind and they had already been on a new case for the past three days, leaving little time for reflection of any kind.

Some maniac was burning down houses all over Maryland and they had so much to do just traveling from crime scene to crime scene that they barely had time to work on a detailed profile. Much less muse about their coworkers´ potential love life.

That being said, it would be a lie to even pretend that certain thoughts didn't continue to sneak up on him, usually in the worst possible moments. He just couldn't seem to get the picture of Morgan as he held Reid close by his throat, whispering unspeakable thing in his ear out of his mind.

He really didn't know what disturbed him more; the idea that it might have a true core or the fact that he couldn't seem to stop thinking about it for some reason…

It was getting so bad, he had even considered talking to the two of them about it, just to resolve the issue and hopefully get some peace -but in the end he had been too embarrassed and uncertain…after all, it was most likely that they were just coworkers and wouldn't be happy about any misinterpretation of their relationship. Much less to be asked by their boss if they were into role-play.

No. He would just have to drown his last sane thought in work as per usual.

Hotch yawned as he climbed the stairs of the hotel they had set base in.

Prentiss and Rossi were two cities across interviewing the latest victims´ friends and neighbors; they probably wouldn't return until the next day. Hotch had been with them originally and they had even called the rest of the team to let them know they were staying there, but in the end he had figured he would be of more use at the base.

Plus, Emily and Dave had seemed like they really wanted some alone time to dedicate themselves to…well, files.

He yawned again, for once too tired to even be bothered by his agents' obvious fraternization. He was just glad he didn't have to be there anymore to watch it.

He had reached the base hotel just around late noon, only to find out that Reid and Morgan weren't back yet either. So now he would have to wait until he could discuss any further steps with them.

Great. All this traveling back and forth was getting annoying, especially since they never seemed to have the agent they needed at the respective crime scenes. Today they could have used Reid's ability to read through files quickly, then maybe Emily and Dave wouldn't be pulling an all-nighter –but Reid had been gone all day as well, interviewing people in another related town with Morgan.

Hotch reached the hotel room he was sharing with Morgan, finding it empty as expected. Through the half closed curtains he could see the soft light of the setting sun and suddenly his eyelids felt too heavy to keep them up. He crossed the room past both beds and sat in a chair in the corner by the window. He wouldn't fall asleep, no, there was no time for that –he would just close his eyes for a tiny second.

He woke with a start when the hotel door opened.

Hotch started and was awake immediately, very much aware of his stiff neck and aching body from having fallen asleep in a chair. He blinked, only now realizing that it was almost completely dark in the room. He must have been asleep for a while; it was night.

He heard rustling of clothing and Morgan's voice in the hallway by the door and was about to get up or call out when he heard something else. Another hushed voice, answering to Morgan. He wasn't alone.

Hotch stayed where he was, completely still, trying to figure out what exactly was going on and how to react to it. There was some giggling and more rustling.

Hotch frowned as he listened intently. At first he thought Morgan actually had the nerve to pick up some girl after a 36 hour day –until he heard a distinctly familiar whisper: "Are you sure Hotch wont be coming back…?"

"Yes, pretty boy, stop worrying already."

If he hadn't recognized Reid´s voice already, the nickname would have been all the proof he needed. It wasn't some girl Morgan had brought to his room, it was his younger colleague.

What were they doing?

Were they still working on the case this late at night, or was this a social call?

His suspicions were back instantly but he really tried not to get ahead of himself. Maybe they were just going to watch TV…

But why would that require his absence and why hadn't they turned on the light yet?

He knew he should just get up, make them notice him and everything would probably turn out to be normal. But if it would…then there was no harm in waiting just a bit longer, was there? Just to be sure…

He heard Morgan chuckle as he moved towards the bedroom, his heavy steps closely followed by quicker, lighter ones.

"Come on, the lights are out! Hotch said he´d have to stay the night in the next town. He told _you _on the phone…", Morgan assured him.

Judging by his voice he was standing in the middle of the room by now, not even ten feet away from where Hotch was sitting. Obviously they hadn't noticed him…No wonder, if he were here they would expect him in the bathroom or on his bed.

Not in a dark corner, like a hiding criminal.

"Yes…I know…but we still shouldn´t…here…", Reid´s voice sounded somewhat muffled, like he was speaking against fabric. Or skin.

His voice came from exactly the same spot Morgan's had.

It wasn't until he heard the unmistakable sound of lips pressing against lips that Hotch realized the moment for him to speak up had come –and passed.

He sat completely still then, barely daring to breathe, praying that this wasn't what he thought it was, that he wasn't really trapped in this very unfortunate situation….while somewhere deep down he couldn't resist wanting to know what would happen next…

He felt his heart beat quicken involuntarily and fought to keep his breathing inaudible.

"Are you talking back to me?", Morgan's voice was low and teasing, but Hotch recognized the choice of words immediately.

Apparently so did Reid.

"What if I am?, he sounded like he was smiling, but there was a shade to his tone that made his question sound like it wasn't all a joke.

Hotch heard shuffling and Reid gasped softly.

He could see them now that his eyes were slowly adapting, only to find them in almost the same position they had been in the interrogation room a week ago. Morgan was pressing against Reid´s back, strong arms wrapped tightly around the other man´s waist and shoulders. He lifted one hand to take hold of Reid´s chin and turned it back in his direction.

"Then I might have to spank you.", he whispered into his ear, sounding husky, threatening and playful all at once somehow.

The hand at Reid´s waist moved over his torso and Hotch thought he heard buttons snapping, fabric being pushed out of the way. Suddenly, the lightness of Reid´s bare skin was almost glowing in the night, in stark contrast to the dark hand wandering over it. Reid gasped again, and this time it wasn't just in surprise.

Hotch was sure that his head must have the color of a ripe tomato by now; his sweating hands were gripping the armrests of his chair so tightly his fingers were turning numb, but all that was nothing compared to his suddenly racing pulse and a very familiar feeling in his stomach.

He tried to ignore the last part with minor success, instead focusing on the facts:

Hadn't he known it?

Even now he could barely believe he had actually been right - mostly because he had bigger problems to worry about.

From what Reid and Morgan were doing it looked like they were headed in a particular direction and Hotch didn't know if it would be more mortifying to let himself be known or to just sit it out.

Logically, he knew he should do the former before any more clothes came off, but the seconds just seemed to tick by while his breathing grew to match Reid´s and he just sat and stared ahead without blinking.

He should leave. He should _want_ to leave.

Instead he found himself wondering what it must feel like to be touched like that by a man…to touch…Reid´s light hair shimmered in the dim light and his fingers itched to comb through it before he could suppress the sensation…

Oh, God. This was so bad…

"Have you been bad?", Morgan whispered right then, like he had read Hotch´s thoughts somehow and the unit chief flinched slightly. Bad was an understatement for this situation.

Morgan moved very suddenly just then, like he sometimes did in the field, practically sweeping Reid off his feet in one swift movement. Reid clutched at Morgan's neck for balance as he fell back onto the bed, another one of those distracting gasps escaping his lips.

Morgan was on top of him almost instantly, their bodies forming one compact, organic shadow in the otherwise lifeless room.

"No.", Reid whispered honestly, his breath coming unevenly.

Morgan chuckled at his obvious misconception of the answer one would usually expect: "No? Then it must be me who´s bad…"

They kissed again then, more passionately this time.

Hotch watched without blinking while his mind was screaming at him for half a dozen different things. The way he felt right now, apart from flustered and embarrassed and shocked…it was something he had never thought possible before, something that would uproot everything he thought himself to be.

Was this what had been bothering him about Reid and Morgan´s behavior all these past weeks…that it wasn´t him doing it…? That realization positively took his breath away.

Still, he couldn´t seem to do anything to preserve his crumbling self image while more clothes were removed bit by bit over on the bed.

He actually tried closing his eyes childishly for a while as though that would make anything better, as though that would block out the sounds -until Reid suddenly pulled away, stopping Morgan with two hands on his shoulders.

"Wait…this isn't…this is where Hotch sleeps.", he protested, not elucidating on how he knew that.

Hotch stopped breathing without actively noticing it. On the one hand it was almost a relief that they had stopped for now…on the other hand he was almost shocked to have his name come up _now_.

Morgan stilled for a moment, then his shoulders lifted in a careless shrug: "I´ll tell him I switched it, he won't mind…"

Then he chuckled slightly to himself.

"What´s funny?", Reid demanded to know.

"Maybe he wouldn't mind finding us here anyway…", Hotch could almost hear the man's grin and felt panicky hot flashes approaching at the implication: "I always thought he was a little sweet on you."

"Don't be ridiculous, he was married to a woman.", Reid scoffed yet sounding somewhat embarrassed He shook his head, dragging his long hair over Morgan's arm in the process. They sounded so normal talking and bickering like this that he would have believed them to be in the bullpen if he hadn't seen them intertwined on the bed.

"And how did that work out?"; Morgan replied, not letting up: "Nah… just remember the look he was giving us last week…"

"Because you overdid it.", Reid scolded immediately, sounding embarrassed at the memory of his boss seeing their performance in front of Reynolds.

"I´ve never heard you complain before."; Morgan playfully bit Reid´s neck, teasing the pale skin there and Reid moaned softly: "Now… don't you want to be done talking about Hotch?"

"Yes. But…"

"No buts.", Derek interrupted him, easily grabbing both of Reid´s wrists and pushing them from his shoulders and into the mattress next to his head. He held them there as he bent down to take another, longer kiss that left Reid speech- and breathless all at once.

After that it was all moans and gasps and whispered names. Shirts and jeans were off long before there was another coherent sentence uttered.

"Do you have the…?", Reid panted past Morgan's lips and the older man nodded, pulling away reluctantly.

"…bathroom...", he muttered, getting up from the bed to quickly walk over there in nothing but his underwear.

Reid remained on the bed, his prone form still except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

Hotch gulped. He was a vision. Truly a miracle that Morgan had been able to tear himself away at all.

How had he never seen this…or not realized it consciously…?

It was in that moment that Hotch realized he needed to tear his eyes away _**now**_, that this would be their last break before they really got started.

He could contemplate his own problems later, for now he needed to spare them all a lot of embarrassment and awkwardness.

So he got up slowly and quietly, suppressing a moan when he felt his own body´s reaction to what he´d seen very clearly through the movement and wished he could just run straight out of the door.

Instead he made his way past the bed very carefully so Reid wouldn't notice him. He seemed pretty self-occupied at the moment but he couldn't risk anything, so he silently made step by step, all the while looking down so as to not run into something by accident.

Almost past the bathroom now…he could hear Morgan rummaging around in there…

That not looking out for what was in front of him had been a mistake only came to Hotch when he suddenly and unexpectedly collided with something solid and warm.

His hands instinctively shot up for support. When they wrapped around warm, flexed arms he felt like was about to have a coronary.

He jumped terribly, half afraid that Morgan had already come out of the bathroom. But no…he could still hear him in there which left…

His breath caught in his throat when he realized Reid had gotten up at some point and walked over to him. Panic set in again and he let go of him like he´d been burned. Which he had in a sense…

He was getting ready to spew out some nonsense explanation…or maybe already start apologizing - but didn't get to say one syllable.

Before he could get one word out, he suddenly felt cool lips gently brushing his, startling him almost more than anything else. He stood there completely petrified as Reid wrapped his arms around his neck and fully leaned into his body.

Heat shot through Hotch´s veins at the sensation, the smell and taste…more intense than he had believed possible even after realizing he might like men just minutes ago. It was overwhelming…shutting off his brain…

"I love you, Derek.", Reid kissed him again, softly and sweetly, tasting faintly of coffee. Hotch was so busy not noticing all the parts of Reid´s body he could feel against his´ that he almost missed those whispered words.

What he didn't miss was the bathroom door suddenly opening, illuminating the room –and then the second of shock all three of them experienced before all hell broke loose.

The light was switched on, and Hotch stared straight into Derek Morgan´s disbelieving face. His expression was almost as shocked as Reid´s who gaped at him out of wide eyes and without blinking or breathing.

It took a moment for either of both to realize they were still standing pressed against each other, then Reid hastily scrambled backwards, turning ghostly white and deep red in alternation.

"Ohmygod! H-Hotch?", Reid almost stumbled over his own words. Realizing the whole situation at once.

He shot an almost panicked look at Morgan, who still wasn't moving, then at Hotch again, all the while very poorly trying to cover his whole bare torso and legs with only two hands.

Neither of his agents thought to ask how he´d gotten in here or how long he´d been there. They knew they had bigger problems.

Morgan was standing by the door with nothing but condoms and a pair of boxers and Reid had just confessed he was in love with his male coworker to his boss´ face.

It could turn out very badly from now on if Hotch decided to act upon what he´d seen.

For that to happen though, Hotch would firstly have to remember how to use his mouth and legs. As it was he was still staring at Reid, his lips slightly parted and his breathing rapid.

Reid, who obviously believed him to be hyperventilating, found his speech back first, trying to save what he could.

"I…oh, I'm so sorry, Hotch…I swear I didn't know…I mean, I thought…", he hesitated, afraid to admit that he had thought he kissed Derek. There was really no believable excuse, not even for a certified genius.

He fell silent when he realized that and just stood there looking miserable, his eyes downcast and his lips thin. They could lose their jobs over this…not to mention the respect of everyone who found out.

Suddenly though, Morgan surprised all of them by stepping up to Reid and boldly interlacing their fingers.

His gaze didn't waver as he held his boss´.

"We´re together.", he admitted without hesitance (like that needed to be clarified): "I´m sorry you have to find out this way and we understand if you´re furious…I just want to say that I'm responsible…" He ignored Reid´s sound of protest: "… and if you want to kick someone off the team it should be me."

Hotch looked at him and Reid, standing as one front with their hands interlaced, as strong and proud as someone could who was only wearing boxers –and suddenly he knew what he wanted to do.

The question was if they would let him.

It was worth a try, he supposed as he fought down his nervousness. If he made an utter fool of himself they would all have something on the others.

"You´re right.", he said slowly, careful to keep his expression neutral: "In fact a proper spanking might be in order. Any volunteers?"

He couldn't suppress a grin when both men looked like they had just seen a pink elephant, staring at him disbelievingly with gaping mouths.

All else aside, that at least had been worth it.

* * *

**Alright, that´s it you guys. I really hope it did****nt disappoint untit the end. **

**So Morgan and Reid are secretly a couple, like we didnt all know :-)**

**sorry if you dont care for Hotch´s involvement, but it can be read as an open ending, so if you dont like him, just interpret the end so that m/r said no, okay? **

**Anyway, thankx so much for all your support, I had so much fun writing this.**

**Maybe I´ll do another story for CM soon. I´m not sure yet, could be a crossover. Anyone know the movie From Dusk till Dawn? It wouldnt be so much about vampires as about the criminal brothers. Let me know if you´d find that interesting, please. **

**XO to y´all**


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